Supporters of Moammar Gadhafi clash with anti-government protesters on Friday. AA photo

Crackdown on anti-government protests unacceptable, says Cameron

By Adekunle Aliyu with Agency Report

There are indication that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has fled Libya and may be headed for Venezuela, William Hague said today.

The Foreign Secretary said he had seen information ‘that suggests he is on the way there [Venezuela] at the moment’ – as the North African country was up in flames with reports of around 400 dead.

Gaddafi was said to have fled as the country he has ruled for more than 40 years after anti-government demonstrators breaching the state television building and setting government property alight.

But officials in Venezuela, where president Hugo Chavez is an ally of the Libyan dictator, denied any suggestions that Gaddafi was seeking refuge there. Information minister Andres Izarra said the reports were ‘false’

Leaders from throughout the world are demanding a peaceful resolution of the turmoil in Libya.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa called Monday for an end to the violence in the north African nation, and said he sees the Libyan protesters’ demands as legitimate.

European Union officials are encouraging Libya to move toward democracy. They are fearful about the safety of their nationals now in Libya.

British Prime Minister David Cameron says the Libyan central government’s deadly crackdown on anti-government protests is “completely appalling and unacceptable,” using the “most vicious forms of repression.” He was speaking from Cairo, where he began a visit to Egypt Monday.

The United States also has voiced objections to the lethal use of force on protesters, in meetings with Libyan Foreign Minister Musa Kusa and other officials.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said Sunday he will raise with the Libyan leadership what he calls “very disturbing reports” emanating from the oil-rich nation, under tight control by Moammar Gadhafi for more than 40 years.

In Brussels, a Eurioopean Union official said Libya has threatened the EU it will stop curbing illegal immigration from North Africa to Europe if the bloc continues to support anti-government protests. Libyan authorities delivered that warning to the Hungarian ambassador in Tripoli; Hungary currently holds the rotating EU presidency.

Italy is particularly concerned about the prospect of an influx of migrants as it is already a popular entry point for North Africans seeking a better life in Europe. Thousands of North African migrants have sailed to the Italian island of Lampedusa since the ouster of Tunisia’s president in an uprising last month.

Italy also is the former colonial ruler of Libya and has strong political and economic ties with that nation. Libya is a major oil exporter that has attracted significant foreign investment from energy companies such as Italy’s ENI, Britain’s BP, and Exxon of the United States.

In Washington the U.S. authorities are keeping a close watch on Libya as event unfolds in part to see what possibilities might exist for meaningful reform, a senior Obama administration official said.

Among other things, Washington was taking a close look at a speech delivered Sunday by Saif al-Islam Gadhafi — Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s son — which included warnings of a civil war if demonstrations in the North African country don’t stop.

In the same speech, Saif Gadhafi also acknowledged changing times regionally and proposed “radical” reforms — like bolstering local governments, relaxing restrictive laws, raising salaries, extending loans, and drafting a constitution, which doesn’t now exist.

Obama officials continued to discuss with their Libyan counterparts the need to avoid violence against peaceful protesters, the official added